1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a training device to improve the visual performance of visually impaired persons, specifically, visually impaired persons who have a partial impairment of their visual field.
2. Description of Related Art
Visual impairment may occur for a variety of reasons with approximately 10% of known cases caused by accidents, and approximately 60% caused by disease. In the past, many different therapies such as surgeries and drugs have been conducted in order to improve this form of visual impairment, as indicated in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. H10-324636.
Visual impairment can have a variety of symptoms, in addition to those cases where the entire visual field is completely occluded by, for example, a functional impairment of the eye or brain, there may also be cases of visual impairment of only one part of the visual field while vision is physically possible in the other regions.
Among the people thought to be completely blind due to visual impairment, there are in fact a large percentage of people who have a partially physically occluded field of vision (notably in the line of vision), and who are consciously convinced that they cannot see or have difficulty seeing beyond their actual ability to see.
This kind of person can be convinced that he or she “cannot see” or has “difficulty seeing.” Attempts are being made to greatly improve visual capacity by reforming that attitude, for example, by training to look to the side of the visual point.